Children's home run by Pear Tree Projects Limited in County Durham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC418605 1 SC418605 Registered provider: Pear Tree Projects Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to three children who may have emotional and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There are three children currently living in the home. The inspector spoke to all three children during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 25 March 2021, to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC418605 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/06/2019 Full Good 27/11/2018 Full Good 14/11/2017 Full Good 16/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC418605 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress from their starting points and enjoy trusting relationships with the staff, who are nurturing. All the children scored living in the home highly. They said that they feel comfortable to talk to the staff about issues that matter most to them. This means that the children learn that the staff want to spend time with them and value what they have to say.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend school and have excellent attendance. The staff attend all of the children’s education meetings and advocate well on behalf of the children. For one child, this has meant a move from the organisation’s school back to mainstream education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff supported and encouraged the children with their learning effectively throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. One education professional said: ‘The work that the staff did with the children was fantastic. We didn’t see any drop in their learning when they came back.’ The priority that the staff give to the children’s education means that their needs are promptly identified and promoted effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that all of the children’s health needs, including their mental health, are met. Staff support the children to attend all their health appointments, and when necessary, arrange for the children to receive specialist support. This ensures that the children’s physical and emotional well-being needs continue to be met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff recognise the importance of the children spending time with their family and the staff promote this well. Staff keep in regular contact with family members, providing them with regular updates. One parent said: ‘I feel like I’m still a big part of [name’s] life because they don’t leave me out.’ This supports the children’s identity and sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is clean and well maintained and offers a homely environment for the children to live in. There are photos of the children enjoying activities throughout the home and certificates and medals achieved by the children proudly displayed. The children decorate their own bedrooms to their own tastes; however, not all of the children’s bedrooms contain a lockable cabinet. This means that the children are not able to safely secure their personal belongings or money.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are processes in place to ensure that the children’s views are sought on a regular basis. However, the children advise that due to the current staffing arrangements, if one child has an appointment, then they all often have to go, regardless of whether they want to. This view is shared by one professional who said: ‘If one of the children need a haircut, then they all have to go.’ The current staffing ratios mean that the children do not have a sense of choice in their day-to- day living. Inspection report for children’s home: SC418605 4

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children say that they feel safe living in the home. They understand their risks and are supported by the staff, who recognise the impact of the children’s traumatic experiences and respond appropriately. Identified risks inform key-work and education sessions. Staff provide clear and consistent boundaries, which gives the children a sense of stability and security.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children’s risk assessments are comprehensive and are promptly updated when new risks emerge. The risks are then appropriately discussed with the child’s social worker and key professionals and a plan is put in place to reduce the likeliness of further incidents.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Before children move into the home, the responsible individual completes an impact risk assessment. The recording of these documents is poor. They fail to identify the individual risks and then do not consider the potential impact of these risks on either the children currently living in the home or the child moving into the home. There is also no plan identified as to how these risks will be managed. The lack of robust matching process means that the children are potentially placed at risk.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff do not have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities when a child goes missing from the home. While there has only been one missing-from- home episode and the police were notified, the child’s parents were not immediately informed, and no attempt was made by the staff to locate the child. The lack of action by the staff does not give the children the message that their safety and well- being are a priority.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Few sanctions are given in the home; however, when they are, they are not restorative in nature. A further shortfall was identified on one of the sanctions records. Neither the child’s debrief nor the manager’s response to the measure was completed in the required timescale. This approach to managing sanctions means that the children are not helped to recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves and others.

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good

The home is managed by a new, permanent and suitably qualified registered manager. He is supported by a small and stable staff team. Feedback received from the staff working in the home is consistently positive. One member of staff said: ‘[Name] is without a doubt one of the best managers I have had the privilege to work with. He has an open-door policy and is very approachable and flexible. Nothing is too much trouble.’ Staff receive regular supervision which focuses equally on the individual needs of the children in the home as well as the staff’s development. However, there is no opportunity for reflection on practice. This means that the staff are not provided with the opportunity to consider their own practice and make any changes. Inspection report for children’s home: SC418605 5 The recording in the documents is poor. Children’s records, such as impact risk assessments, key-work sessions and the sanction logs, have been added to after

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good

they have been signed off. Some children’s case records are not signed and dated, while others contain inaccuracies and language that is not child-friendly. The lack of attention to detail on the part of the registered manager and the staff raises concerns about the validity and accuracy of all the records in the home.

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good

The children are not provided with all the information that they need to seek out independent representation. The children’s guide does not include all of the required information, such as the contact details for the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. This oversight prevents the children from being aware of all of the services that are available to them, should they need them, when they arrive at the home.

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good

The provider reviews and monitors the children’s progress and the development of the home. However, the provider’s quality of care review report does not contain an action plan. The lack of action planning prevents the manager from remaining focused on the areas that require attention, and hinders their ability to evidence the improvements that have been made.

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good

The statement of purpose does not include all the required information. It does not detail how the home’s child protection policies or the behaviour management policy can be accessed, or who to contact if a person has a complaint about the home. In addition, the statement of purpose does not detail all of the staff’s qualifications. This oversight prevents parents, children and commissioners from gaining an understanding of how these incidents will be managed. It also fails to provide assurances that the staff are appropriately skilled, experienced and qualified to do so.

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good

Consultation by the independent visitor with the children, their parents, relatives, professionals and the staff working in the home is poor. When consultation does take place, it is recorded as a list of quotes which are not linked to any specific person. On eight occasions, the independent visitor has not expressed a view on whether the children in the home are safeguarded effectively. This failure means that the registered manager and Ofsted are unable to scrutinise who has been spoken to, or be satisfied that the children’s safety is promoted.

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good

The registered manager has monitoring and auditing processes in place. However, these are not effective in both monitoring and improving the experiences for children as these systems have failed to identify the shortfalls raised. Inspection report for children’s home: SC418605 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to impact risk assessments. 17 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h)) 17 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out— 17 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC418605 7 how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to sanction records.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 17 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether— 17 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC418605 8 children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3) (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”). (Regulation 45 (1) (3)) 17 March 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered manager should ensure that the children are provided with appropriate furniture, such as a lockable cabinet or drawers, to securely store personal items, including any personal information. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 16, paragraph 3.19)  The registered provider should ensure that the children’s guide helps children to understand how to contact the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 24, paragraph 4.22)  The registered manager should specify the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of the staff when a child is missing from care or away from the home without permission and how the staff should support the child on return to the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 45, paragraph 9.28)

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Recommendations

 The registered manager should ensure that any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help the children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. In some cases, it will be important for the children to make reparation in some form to anyone hurt by their behaviour and the staff in the home should be skilled to support the child to understand this and carry it out. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered manager should ensure that the home has enough suitably trained staff on duty to meet the assessed needs of all the children in the home, and that the children should have the option to remain in the home with a member of staff if they do not want to undertake a specific activity. (‘Guide to the Children’s

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Recommendations

Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 51, paragraph 10.1)  The registered manager should ensure that there are systems in place so that all of the staff, including the manager, receive regular supervision so that they can Inspection report for children’s home: SC418605 9 reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered manager should ensure that the staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way and information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: SC418605 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pear Tree Projects Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Peartree House, Bolam, Darlington, County Durham DL2 2UP

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Inspector

Paula Shepherd, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC418605 11 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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